I can't think of a title and it's hurting the writing

reenkam · Jul 8, 2007

With everything I've written I've always had a title when I started the book. Sometimes the title changed part of the way through, and once I didn't have one until I was halfway through, but every other time I'd had a title.

Now, with my current WIP, I don't have a title at all. And I can't even think of one. I have no idea what it should be. I don't even have a "working title" other than "book one." It's terrible and annoying. And I can't stop thinking about it. I only have about 10k words left to write and every time I get a paragraph down I stop and think and worry about the title. I'll never finish at this rate...

Does anyone else ever have a similar problem? How do people normally think of titles?

Penguin Queen · Jul 8, 2007

Do you have a printout?
Jab a pin into it and see if you can find a sentence or a couple of words on that page that might become your title.

Or, if you write horror or a thriller, jab a pin into the Bible.

Or the complete works of Shakespeare or Aphra Behn or John Donne.

ChaosTitan · Jul 8, 2007

reenkam said:
I only have about 10k words left to write and every time I get a paragraph down I stop and think and worry about the title. I'll never finish at this rate...

Sounds more like a subconscious excuse to avoid the end. Damn the title and full speed ahead!

Name it after the main character. Do like Penguin Queen said, and pick a random passage. Anything. Titles often change. Just content yourself and finishing writing the novel.

Bo Sullivan · Jul 8, 2007

What is the book about? You could use the protagonists name as the title of the book, or the year or setting might give you some inspiration.

Barbara

Sandy J · Jul 8, 2007

Don't let the lack of a title stop you! I don't imagine too many editors let you keep your title anyway!

One of my manuscripts had no title, and I wasn't horribly happy with the story even though it was more than half complete (I think it was holding at around 55,000 words). I put it aside, worked on something else, and then went back to take a good look at what I had done. I found my focus, and then I found my title.

TheKnightWhoSaidNi · Jul 8, 2007

I'm right around halfway done with the third book of the trilogy and I have no idea what the title will be. Titles come to you in time. I'm not totally satisfied with what I've got going for the titles of the first two, but they make sense. That's the best piece of advice I can give; pick something that makes sense.

alleycat · Jul 8, 2007

If it's really bothering you this much, and you're sure you're not using this as an excuse to not finish, then post a one or two paragraph synopsis of the story and ask for title ideas. Someone might hit on one or, even better, it might jogs your own creative juices into thinking of a title.

Of course, as others have pointed out, you don't really needed to worry about a title; but I can understand being bugged by not having one.

Penguin Queen · Jul 8, 2007

alleycat said:
it might jog your own creative juices into thinking

What a splendid melange of metaphors

Claudia Gray · Jul 8, 2007

I find that my titles arrive either at the very beginning or the very end. Yours may be one that arrives at the end. Think of it that way, and then perhaps it will spur you on to finish!

alleycat · Jul 8, 2007

Penguin Queen said:
What a splendid melange of metaphors

Shaken, not stirred.

reenkam · Jul 8, 2007

Thanks for all the ideas everyone!

I don't think I'm using this as an excuse not to finish...I guess that could be a posibility, though. Maybe I don't like the ending? I haven't decided yet. I still really want a title, though, and I'm still pressing on, but that title problem just won't leave me alone. I'll definitely try the "pin" idea, to see how that goes. I thought about the main character's name as the title, but I don't really like names being titles on books I read, so...But, in any case, here's a really short synopsis in case anyone else can think of something...oh, and if you think my ending is bad and/or can think of another, let me know!

So it's a YA (dark?) urban fantasy about a 17 y.o. necromancer named Dennis. The story starts out when Dennis' parents are held hostage by some rogue supernaturals who are pissed about some stuff his parents did. (They work for a supernatual rule-making group called the Conclave as ambassadors repping necromancers.) Dennis and his younger brother try to fight the other supernaturals, but they're unsuccessful and have to run, instead. They almost get away but Dennis' brother (Drew) is kidnapped by some guys in a van and Dennis gets hit on the head and died.

To make a longish story a lot shorter...Dennis is a ghost and he finds another necromancer (who knows nothing about supernaturals b/c he's adopted) who gets him in contact with some of his friends. They find a shaman (which is like a necromancer, kind of...in my story at least) who brings Dennis back to life. Then there's the whole middle part of the book where more characters come and go and they learn more about both groups and the reasons for the hostage stuff and the kidnapping. During that time Dennis has to start using darker powers to help them, which is "outlawed" but he does it anyway, finally culminating when he and two of his friends figure out where his brother's being held.

So they rescue the brother and Dennis' best friend, who was kidnapped earlier in a plan to find the group that failed. (This is where I've written to so far...) Drew is slightly insane for a little bit, because of the torture and whatnot, but they take him to a fairy (not a little flying thing, but I won't explain it all here) who helps him, though his powers have changed, too, as have Dennis' best friend's.

(Here's the part I'm not sure about, I guess...maybe this is what's holding me back.) So then they all have to go find Dennis and Drew's parents, who turn out to be in a type of jail cell in a building they actually went to multiple times, but never fully investigated. So they get their parents, who immediately take over and contact the Conclave, ending the story, pretty much.

Sorry that synopsis was so long and probably uber confusing...does anyone have any suggestions for a title? Or maybe a better ending? It's seeming a little weak to me, now...

Thanks again for all the tips, everyone!

reenkam · Jul 8, 2007

ClaudiaGray said:
I find that my titles arrive either at the very beginning or the very end. Yours may be one that arrives at the end. Think of it that way, and then perhaps it will spur you on to finish!

I was mid-posting when this came up so I didn't see it before, but maybe that's the case...most of my titles come in the very beginning, but maybe my brain's working differently this time...

alleycat · Jul 8, 2007

Here's few title ideas just keying off your synopsis:

The Supernaturals

The Conclave

An Urban Fantasy

Saving Your Dead Brother (hey, kill him too)

Into the Dark Night

The Dark Fantasy

The Ghost's Revenge

The Darker Power

Die and Die Again

I have no idea whether any of these have been used recently or not.

ChaosTitan · Jul 8, 2007

alleycat said:
Die and Die Again

Ha! That one could work for my WIP. :ROFL:

reenkam · Jul 8, 2007

alleycat said:
Here's few title ideas just keying off your synopsis:

The Supernaturals

The Conclave

An Urban Fantasy

Saving Your Dead Brother (hey, kill him too)

Into the Dark Night

The Dark Fantasy

The Ghost's Revenge

The Darker Power

Die and Die Again

I have no idea whether any of these have been used recently or not.

Actually, some of those might be good...I might combine a few of them into something else. Thanks!

JoNightshade · Jul 8, 2007

Conclave (Minus "the")

The Necromancer's Child / The Necromancer's Son

eliflauta · Jul 8, 2007

ChaosTitan said:
Sounds more like a subconscious excuse to avoid the end. Damn the title and full speed ahead!

Name it after the main character. Do like Penguin Queen said, and pick a random passage. Anything. Titles often change. Just content yourself and finishing writing the novel.

I completely agree! You might make the working title the main character's name, or you could be completely cheesy and call it "The (insert superb adjective) Adventures of (insert protagonist) Against the (insert villain-like adjective) (insert Antagonist)!" Just for the working title, anyway. Finish the whole story, and then work on a title. It might come to you in a dream or something. Don't fret; it'll come.

reenkam · Jul 8, 2007

eliflauta said:
I completely agree! You might make the working title the main character's name, or you could be completely cheesy and call it "The (insert superb adjective) Adventures of (insert protagonist) Against the (insert villain-like adjective) (insert Antagonist)!" Just for the working title, anyway. Finish the whole story, and then work on a title. It might come to you in a dream or something. Don't fret; it'll come.

haha, I think I'm going to take your advice and go with:

The Deadly Adventures of Dennis Thanatokolis & Co. and the Fight against Various Evil Factions Who Enjoy Kidnapping His Family Members

Think agents/editors will love it?? I bet they will.....

blacbird · Jul 8, 2007

Samuel Beckett wrote a novel titled The Unnamable, if that helps.

caw

Writing Jedi · Jul 8, 2007

alleycat said:
Here's few title ideas just keying off your synopsis:

The Supernaturals
The Darker Power

Just for the record, I would totally pick up either of those two books if I saw them on the shelf.

Shadow_Ferret · Jul 8, 2007

reenkam said:
Does anyone else ever have a similar problem? How do people normally think of titles?

No. I never think of a title until I've finished the novel. And even then, I've changed the title of my current novel 5 times now and I'm still not happy with it.

But starting? I name it after the MC and I'm done with it until I finish.

edwardcullen13 · Jul 8, 2007

To help you a bit more i know there would be more of a chance of me picking up "The Darker Power" over the other but that's just me. ; ). lol

alisarish · Jul 8, 2007

If you wish, I can forward to you an excel sheet that I prepared for friends and family, based on numbers, and recommendations based on that so called occult science. You can choose your desired name and check for the number it adds up to, make adjustments, and so on and so forth. According to my own belief, in context of books for example,

- A good book with a not-so-good name may or may not be a success.

- A good book with a lucky name will surely be a success.

This, to me, is the gist of the matter.

Good wishes

reenkam · Jul 8, 2007

alisarish said:
If you wish, I can forward to you an excel sheet that I prepared for friends and family, based on numbers, and recommendations based on that so called occult science. You can choose your desired name and check for the number it adds up to, make adjustments, and so on and so forth. According to my own belief, in context of books for example,

- A good book with a not-so-good name may or may not be a success.

- A good book with a lucky name will surely be a success.

This, to me, is the gist of the matter.

Good wishes

Like Numerology for book titles? That's pretty cool...

What's everyone think of the following:

Dark Shadow

Night Shadow

A Darker Power

Death Shadow

ChaosTitan · Jul 8, 2007

reenkam said:
What's everyone think of the following:

Dark Shadow

This one makes me think of Dark Shadows, the television series.

I can't think of a title and it's hurting the writing

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